Coal-Tar Sealants In Asphalt Driveways Could Raise Cancer Risk

Could your driveway be dangerous to your health?

Mounting evidence shows that coal tar sealant -- used to maintain pavement on asphalt, including the asphalt in some driveways -- contains human carcinogens.

One recent study, published earlier this year in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, suggested that people who live near coal tar-sealed asphalt may have a higher risk of cancer, due to exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

NBC News explained that people can be exposed to the PAHs when the coal tar sealant breaks down over time, becoming a dust that is either inhaled or enters waterways. Now, two states and multiple communities in other states have banned this particular kind of sealant, and major home improvement stores -- including Home Depot and Lowe's -- don't sell the product.

For more, watch the video from NBC above.